" In light of Ignatius' 'Two Standards' and 'The Mystries Done From The Garden To The House Of Annas', at any moment we can be Judas or Peter, a Christian life can be a fine line."

Thursday, August 2, 2012

A Jesuit With God's Strength

Fr. Sebastian Thengumpallil, S.J.

A priest with a paralyzed body has become a source of strength for the physically and mentally challenged. He is Fr. Sebastian Thengumpallil, who believes that he has been called to this unusual vocation by the will of God. Fr. Sebastian was a Jesuit Scholastic
pursuing his graduation. At the same time he was a playback singer,
organizer, teacher, and social activist, actively involved in
multifaceted fields of life. But the course of his life changed
drastically at the age of 23 with the visit of a least expected ‘guest’
to his body. It was in 1985. It all started with a mild fever.

Doctors
diagnosed deadly Guillian Barrie Syndrome and predicted a delicate
chance of survival. He lost his power of movement below his neck. At
first he had to depend upon others even for a glass of water. But with
the help of relatives and colleagues he limped back to life. His companions in the
Jesuit Order were attending to all his needs and the superiors and his
dear ones from home monitored every beep and movement of the
life-support machines and wholeheartedly supported his struggles to
live. He became consciously aware of the change of his question to God.
He asked, “How, O Lord, how shall I overcome my suffering?” To this he
heard HIS life-giving words: “Be not afraid, I am with you.” The Guillian Barrie
Syndrome left him with permanent disorders and challenges to his life.
His muscles were shrunk, limbs stiffened, body became numb and the chest
remained squeezed.

With continuous physiotherapy he could walk on plain
floors with the help of a walker. He needed a helping hand to climb a
step. But it could not rob off all his dreams. Usually a disabled will
not be ordained a priest, especially as a Jesuit priest, since the life
of a Jesuit priest demands a lot of physical endurance. But due to his
iron will and determination he was able to complete his studies and was
ordained a Jesuit priest in 1997. It was when late Fr. Joseph Kannampuzha,
S.J., the founder of Snehabhavan, Kottayam, Kerala, India invited him
to join his initiative. Snehabhavan is dedicated to the education, training and rehabilitation of the physically and mentally challenged. He now takes it as the passion and the mission of his life to
communicate to those who struggle to survive with physical and mental
challenges. He is now the executive director of Snehabhavan responsible
for running a special school that caters to 71 students with special
needs; managing a Vocational Training Centre under Snehabhavan for
physically challenged and coordinating the Community Based
Rehabilitation (CBR) projects spread over eight Gramapanchayats of
Kottayam district catering to the rehabilitation needs of 1116 families. Every mentally and physically challenged
child he comes across is specifically important for him. He is very
particular that everyone is approached in a very personal way. His
priestly vocation gives him that approach. He believes that everyone is a
unique and precious child of God

About Me

I am not a Jesuit, nor am I a cleric. I spent about 5 years under the spiritual direction of a Jesuit, 3 of those years in a weekly directed retreat in everyday life. The profound impact that the Society and the Excercises had upon my life, resulted in me, trying to deal with that impact in some way by sharing my view of Jesus Christ with others. My intention is to pull together Jesuitical and Catholic subjects that interest me. I was born on the feast day of St. Paul Miki, S.J.. I am the father of three small children and an infant, I am married to a great wife.